


By the Hearth

by HDLynn, maybege



Series: Adventures of The Blue Hawk [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Accidental Sexual Innuendos, Confessions, F/M, Fluff, Injury, Just Add Kittens, Mild Language, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Old West!AU, Protective!Paz, Saloon Owner!Paz, Sexual Tension, a bit of angst, alcohol mention, hypothermia scares, longing is in the hands, soft!paz
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:08:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27546595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HDLynn/pseuds/HDLynn, https://archiveofourown.org/users/maybege/pseuds/maybege
Summary: When you bring a box into Paz Vizsla's saloon with a question, he has no idea what kind of trouble and happiness is to be found inside that box.~ A Dusty Trail Series side story ~
Relationships: Paz Vizsla/Reader, Paz Vizsla/You
Series: Adventures of The Blue Hawk [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2013532
Comments: 4
Kudos: 68





	By the Hearth

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my collab partner Maybege! She is sweet and awesome and you should totally check out her work as well! <3

The last of the lunch rush was clearing out of the Blue Hawk Saloon as Paz wiped down the glossy bar top he had been working at for several hours. The day crowd was always a bit different than his evening customers here in Denver. Working men who needed something hearty to eat and a good drink before heading back out to work. The night crowd could be a bit rowdier in comparison. 

The Blue Hawk Saloon was a good establishment, Paz Vizsla was well known in the city of Denver for running a tight ship. He was a man who didn't suffer fools. If someone wanted to start a bar fight in his business, Paz was the one to end it, usually by throwing the troublemaker out onto the boardwalk on their ass. He had worked hard to build this place from the ground up as Denver had evolved from a frontier town into a budding city filled with commerce and industry. 

Even so, the patterns of Paz's day were rather predictable, so when he heard the bell on his door he was a bit surprised at someone coming in so late for lunch. But that shock quickly changed into a low simmer of happiness because it was none other than the one person he kept thinking about.

You.

 _You_ were the one slipping through the door, all the while waving to one of your friends on the street. You were the one smiling at him, ducking your head shyly as your hands tightened around a box in your hands. The stained glass, that he had purchased for above his front door, cast dancing colors of blues, purples, and greens, over your hair and face in a teasing manner. A more entrancing sight Paz couldn't think of.

There wasn’t a day he remembered not looking out for you whenever he walked on the streets. Not a day he hadn't passed thinking about you, your smile, your kindness, the way your hands fidgeted when you were nervous. His friends had called him lovestruck only a few weeks after he had been introduced to you and while he might still deny it out loud, in his heart there was only space for you. 

Paz hardly knew where to look - could he keep staring at you? Should - should he continue to wipe the counters as if nothing happened? What if you needed help? 

The instant he thought he saw your grip on the wooden box start to slip, Paz was tossing the cloth over his shoulder and moving to come around the counter to help you.

"Afternoon, ma'am." He greeted you, "Do you need some help with that?"

Instead of letting him take the box, you hesitated a moment, your hands moving to grip onto it a bit tighter, your eyes glancing from his face to the cloth on his shoulder and back. 

"Actually, I was wondering if you could help me... with what is in the box, Mr. Vizsla?" you asked, voice quietly sweet in your shyness.

Paz didn’t know how to react. With you looking at him like that, he would hide a body for you. He would drag the corpse out into the woods, dig a hole and bury it. Hell, he might even take the blame if it came to it. Anything to make you happy. Anything to keep you safe. So, when, in his silence, you began to fidget, looking more and more nervous, he made his decision.

"It's just ... well, you're just the only person who I thought could help," you admitted before he could say anything, almost seeming eager in reassuring him, "And if - if you don't want to, that's fine too, I promise I won't be mad at you, just - please don't be mad at me either?"

As if he could ever be mad at you.

"You could be trying to give me a box full of rattlesnakes and I'd be happy to help," Paz teased slightly, trying to ease your nerves a bit. "Now what can I help you with?"

You laughed brightly at his joke, instantly the shyness melting away into an open manner that always took his breath away.

"No rattlesnakes, this time, I can assure you of that, Mr. Vizsla." You beamed at him before continuing, "Here, let me show you."

Setting the box on the counter you pulled back the lid.

And, well, whatever he had been expecting, it certainly hadn't been that. 

There, from the darkness of the box, one pair of light blue eyes was blinking up at him, surrounded by the deepest, greyest fur. It looked silky to the touch and Paz was sure if he were to pet the animal, his hand would disappear entirely in the sea of grey.

"A - a kitten," he said, stunned, "It’s a kitten?” 

"Isn't she just the most precious thing?" you asked him, smiling down at the little ball of fur and gently scooping it up in your hand. The kitten looked around curiously, meowing loudly as you cradled her to your chest, rubbing your fingers along her forehead. 

"Our cat had a whole litter of kittens and Pa said I had to get rid of them since they are all now running underfoot." You explained. "I found the rest of the litter homes but... this one is the smallest of the bunch and... well I knew she'd be safe with you if you aren't too busy to take her in?"

Pas was confronted with both the wide eyes of the kitten and yours blinking up at him and he was a bit thunderstruck. He had been who you thought of to take care of such a tiny little thing? 

Taking his surprise as a possible yes, you reached out and took his hand.

"Here, let's see if she likes you. I'm sure she will though," you say confidently as you put the tiny kitten in his work-worn hand.

For a moment, he was struck by the feeling of your skin against his, something that so seldom happened. Now he was yearning for more even when your hand hadn't even quite left his own yet. What a happy life he would lead if he had your hand in his for however long he wanted to.

Then, the kitten started to look at her new surroundings, making herself comfortable and, finally, looking up at him as if she needed to test if his hands would hold up her weight. 

She was so light he was afraid of breaking her if he just moved his hands too quickly. But your hand was still there, holding on to his fingers as you tried to coax the kitten out of her little shell. 

"Besides," you mumbled, your eyes still on the fur in his hands, "If you need help with her I can always come over and lend a hand. I'm not too busy these days, I could make sure she won't break anything..." 

Paz took a breath to get a handle on his whirling thoughts, but as he did so the kitten started sniffing at his skin and the linen of his shirtsleeve before rubbing her little face against him. She started purring so loudly he was afraid she would fall off his hand so he quickly brought his other hand up to cup her securely to his chest. Hell, he wasn't going to be able to say no, was he?

"I mean... I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have her around," he murmured. "Would be nice to have a cat to keep any mice out of the cellar, right?"

He couldn't help but start giving the kitten some gentle scratches on her tiny chin. 

The little grey ball of fluff seemed to love the bit of affection, rubbing all up against his broad chest, purring even louder somehow.

Your eyes went wide and he noticed how your gaze lingered on his hands. How funny it must look to you, he thought, his rough hands carrying this tiny little thing. But you didn’t laugh. No, you looked at him with the brightest, happiest smile he had ever seen on you.

"So... you'll take her?" you asked quietly, your hand raised as if to pet the kitten on his chest but ultimately deciding against it - he wished you hadn't pulled away -, "Will you really?"

"I will," he vowed, proud of having been chosen by the little creature and pleased for making you smile like that. "She will want for nothing and you can visit her as often as you like."

 _You can visit me_ , he wanted to say but bit his tongue. You were here for the kitten. Not for him. 

So that was how it came to pass that you started visiting Paz in his saloon almost every other day. You would always come in after the lunch rush and Paz would hurry to make sure he had everything cleaned up before you got there so he could spend as much time with you as he could.

One time you brought a bit of stained lace to play with the kitten with, showing Paz how to drag it in front of the kitten -- who by this time he had named Princess for how spoiled the little thing was becoming. He had to admit it was damn charming watching the little kitten go stock still, and then have her little back end wiggle before pouncing after the bit of lace. But he loved it, even more, when you laughed at Princess's antics.

Then you started bringing the occasional extra bit of baking, you somehow were always making more than you and your Pa were able to eat and wanted to share it. He always looked forward to those little treats, torn between saving them because they seemed precious to him and just eating them because they were always tasty. And the fact that you wanted to share it with him? That thought kept him warm at night when he went to bed alone, even if you only meant it as a friend, he could live with just what you gave. Right?

Sometimes he was tempted to save the treats, but no matter how much he wanted to, it always ended up with him eating them anyway, licking the crumbs off his fingertips because damn you were a good baker. And the more he ate your baking, the more baked treats you seemed to bring him. Which led to you one day setting down a pie dish on his bartop covered by a dishtowel and smelling so delicious his stomach was grumbling despite the lunch he had just had. 

"Let me guess, love," he rumbled, drying a glass and setting it down, "You bake too much again?"

"You guessed it, Mr. Vizsla," you grinned, wiping your hands on your apron, "Now where is my precious kitten?"

One other thing Paz had come to realize was that Princess, despite being the runt of the litter, seemed to be your favorite one. Which made it all the sweeter that you had entrusted _him_ with her.

You had mentioned it only once, but when the litter had been born, Princess had been so tiny you had been worried she wouldn't live. So you had made sure the mama cat had extra nesting materials along with using the family foot warmer box with warm coals inside to keep the whole little family warm until you'd been sure all of them would make it through the night.

So it was no wonder why you kept such a good eye on your little grey kitten as she started turning from a chubby little round thing into the lankier kitten who liked to spread out on his lap when he balanced the books at the start of every morning. You coming to visit was becoming such a pattern he could set his clock by when you came. He just hoped that maybe... maybe he might be able to convince you to also visit for him once you were sure that Princess was a healthy and grown cat.

As if she knew her presence was needed, Princess bounced around the corner, chasing a dust ball that had been set in motion by the wind of the door. You looked down, smiling brightly at the cat and Paz could not help but smile a little too, infatuated with the way your whole being seemed to brighten up once you were in the saloon. 

"I brought some sewing, if you don't mind," you mentioned to him once Princess had been thoroughly petted and cooed at, "Maybe, um, maybe you'd like to keep me company? Eat a slice of pie?"

"I'll be right there," he promised, trying not to seem too eager as he fervently searched for a plate.

You had already made your way over to the fire, to the chair that had become known as _your spot_ by everyone who frequented his establishment. You always sat there, reading, sewing, cuddling with Princess, or - if he was very lucky, just talking to him. It had become his favorite place in his saloon, the two chairs in front of the fireplace. As if they were just waiting for you both to come and sit down.

As the fall season came and passed, the temperatures dipping until the mornings were bright and nippy with frost, Paz always made sure that the fireplace was swept up and the fire crackling bright and merrily for you and your talks. He loved finding out more about you, how your family had moved to Denver for your father's work only a year ago or so now. He couldn't believe that you had been in his life for such a short amount of time. Instead, it felt like he had known you forever and wanted to know you for longer.

Paz knew he wanted to always be able to talk to you by his fireplace, to be able to hold your soft hand in his. He just... needed to figure out how to broach the subject. He wanted to do right by you, after all.

He was pondering this puzzle one night, of how to ask you if you wouldn't mind the owner of a saloon courting you, when he'd heard the winds of the first winter storm settle over Denver. With Princess curled up on his chest, purring and warm under the blankets with him, Paz could only hope that the weather wasn't that bad. Tomorrow was supposed to be when you next visited.

His fingers buried themselves in Princess’s fur, his mind drifting to how you could spend the afternoon together. It would be cold still, so maybe he could bring some blankets from upstairs to make sure you would not get too affected by it? Maybe he could make you a hot chocolate or a tea if you wanted? And, surely, he'd have some of that apple pie left and could share a slice with you? He could get a deck of cards from the back room too, or maybe challenging you to a game of checkers while it was snowing outside and Princess would purr on your lap.

But when the next day came, the weather had not settled down. Quite the contrary, the clouds were dark and heavy in the sky, the snowflakes thick as they slowly fell to the ground, coloring everything a bright white. As soon as he had woken up and looked out of the window, disappointment settled deep in his chest.

In this weather, _no one_ would dare to leave their home unless it was urgent. This meant that you, certainly, wouldn't make the walk from your home to his saloon. It would be foolish to hold onto that thought so Paz tried to settle with the idea of spending the day without you. He could get some overdue work done, maybe work on the record books. That way, the next time you would come to visit, he would have more time for you.

And while he might have been fine with it — or at least pretending to — Princess was certainly not.

The darn cat had started the afternoon by racing around the counter while Paz had been trying to restock the liquor from the back, he had stumbled hard making sure he hadn't stepped on her, nearly dropped the whole crate of Jameson's on the floor.

Princess had the gall to meow at him in indignation, as if he was at fault for the near-collision and not hers. Paz had started scolding her, not caring at all about talking to a cat seeing as there was no one in the saloon today.

She had just chattered angrily at him before arching her back and skittering away from him sideways in another scramble of claws over his nice wood floors.

What was with that cat today? Must be the weather Paz figured, it had eased up for a little while about thirty minutes ago before starting to snow even harder. Pair the strange weather with how it was well past when you usually came for your visits.

Maybe Princess was out of sorts with not having you visit just as much as he felt.

But what truly got his attention was when she refused to settle on his lap.

Most times, he got some paperwork done with her curled up on his legs, maybe making some biscuits while getting her claws trapped in the fabric of his trousers which ensued in some laughter from you before you gently freed Princess’s claws from his lap, much to his delight.

Now that the wind had started wailing around the house, Princess had curled up in front of the door, the one spot that had to be the coldest. Every few minutes she would stand up, walk in a circle meowing, scratch against the door as if there was nothing more she wanted than to go outside before giving up hope and laying down again. 

It did not take more than three repetitions of her heartfelt performance before Paz grew worried. 

Maybe something was wrong? 

He tried to reason with himself, obviously, no one would be so foolish as to try traveling today, you would be home safe and warm with your Pa. But now the idea had come into Paz's mind, he started to worry that you might have tried to still come, perhaps not thinking the weather was that bad, after all, it had cleared up for a little while, and something might have happened to you. You could be frozen in a ditch, or perhaps gotten turned around and lost in a sudden snowsquall. 

Glaring at Princess, Paz put away his pen and record books with a grunt. He knew he wouldn't be able to rest or do anything else today until he knew for a fact that you were safe at home.

Grabbing his heavy winter coat, scarf, hat, and thick gloves, Paz kitted himself up to go outside. 

Princess seemed to like this and started rubbing against his legs hard, chattering at him.

"You're not coming with me, little miss," Paz said firmly, scowling at the fluffy grey cat as he got and lit the lantern he kept behind the bar ready and full of oil. "I'm _not_ about to have to have you get spooked and have to find you in a goddamn snowstorm when everything is probably fine."

She just chirped up at him as he also grabbed a pie dish you had forgotten your last visit. He'd cleaned it, figuring you would get it your next visit but now he would at least have an excuse as to why he was visiting you and your Pa today even if he still was going to look like a madman for traveling in a godforsaken snowstorm.

As soon as he opened the door and the wind came howling at him, Paz questioned what he was doing. Was he really walking through a snowstorm because - because a cat told him so? But with Princess' encouraging meows behind him and worry for you in his heart, he knew that yes, yes he was going out into a darn blizzard. Because a cat told him. 

With winter and the storm in full force, it was already starting to get dark outside as he made his way through the thick snow. He tried to keep his head up and eyes open even if the cold crept through all the layers to the very core of him. But he needed to see.

He needed to make sure you were not there. That it was all in his imagination.  
The lantern in his hand sent out at least a little warmth as it got colder and colder. 

Paz was just crossing a corner, shielding the lantern from the wind and hoping it wouldn't blow out when he faintly heard a voice in the distance. And he would recognize that voice anywhere.

His footsteps sped up and he almost stumbled over his own feet in the haste to get to the source of it.

"Hello!" he shouted, "Is someone there?"

"Paz?" your voice echoed through the wind, "Paz! I am here, Paz, please I -" the wind howled and cut your words off.

Hollering your name, Paz followed the road further, letting the yellow light of his lantern lead the way. He knew you were close if only he could... there!

Speeding up, Paz's legs pushed through the beginnings of a snowdrift as he made his way to a huddled figure on the side of the road, you had found some protection from the wind by taking shelter under a tree but you sitting in a pile of snow. You must be near frozen.

"Paz!" you sobbed as he knelt beside you. "I thought- I thought-"

"Shush, love," Paz soothed, "It's alright, are you hurt?"

He saw you were bundled up rather well, yet you were still shivering badly. How long had you been out here?

"I slipped," you sniffled, wiping at your running nose. "I twisted my ankle a while back, was too far from home so I tried to make it into town but it hurts, Paz, it hurts really bad."

"Alright, love," he took a deep breath, carefully handing you the lantern, "You hold this, and I will check your ankle and then - then we'll see from there, alright? Everything is going to be fine, I promise."

You nodded, still sniffling and holding the lantern. He knelt, gently taking your foot in his, settling your boot on his thigh. The snow was soaking through the fabric of his clothes and damn it was cold but the way you winced when his fingertips slightly brushed over the joint told him all he needed to know for now. 

"I think it’s just sprained, love," he said, trying to keep his voice calm and soothing, “But we need to get you somewhere dry and warm, can you stand?"

You looked at him, slowly shaking your head, your lips trembling as if you would start to sob at any moment, "I - It hurts, Paz," you whispered, "I don't think I can make it on my own."

"Good thing you don't have to," he said, discarding the pie dish into the pile of snow next to you, "Let's get you bundled up, and then I will take you to the saloon, it is closer."

As he helped you up, keeping you steady even as you only put your weight on your good leg, Paz saw you looking in confusion at the pie dish.

"Why are you... why do you have a pie dish?"

Paz brushed it off, "Princess was a mess all morning, worried about you I figure, so... I figured it wouldn't hurt to check and make sure you and your father were doing alright."

"So you brought the pie dish..." you mused as he arranged both of you so you could lean on him as you both walked back to the saloon.

Paz flushed, feeling caught in something you weren't saying, "Didn't seem right to visit without bringing something, I can't help you and carry it and the lantern, I'll find it in the spring for you."

Even as you shivered at his side he could feel your gaze on his face, watching him like you could piece together something like a puzzle but you didn't prod further. Both of you concentrated on making back to the saloon and warmth.

Now that he knew you were safe, the walk didn’t feel as long as it had before. He was careful to lead you through the streets, making sure that the snow had not piled too high for you to walk through. Soon enough, with you cuddled up into his side, he spotted the sign of his saloon and relief washed through him.

"Almost there," he smiled down at you, "Ready to be ambushed by Princess for some cuddles?"

"I'm ready for you warming me up," you mumbled, before immediately backtracking, "I - I didn't mean it like that, I am so sorry, I don't even know why I said that!"

Paz chuckled nervously, trying to get rid of the images in his head. Of you curled up in his arms... in his bed. Of you in your nightgown, warming your feet by the fire in his bedroom, smiling up at him as you told him about your day.

"It's alright, you've had a scare," he assured you, gently helping you up the little steps to the door. He could hear Princess scratching at the door from the inside and felt you bury your head into his coat.

"Sorry, you're just warm," you mumbled sleepily as he opened the door, "I don't think I've ever been this exhausted ... oh Princess, hello my love!"

The grey ball of fluff was so happy to see her two favorite people she kept purring as she ignored the snow caked all over Paz's boots and your wet skirts.

"We need to get you out of those," Paz said before his face went hot. "I mean so that you don't get frostbite, we'll have to make sure your hands and feet get warm and dry quick. Everything you're wearing is soaking wet." Hell, he just kept putting his foot in his mouth didn't he?

"Come with me," he murmured, trying not to say anything else that might have any innuendos. "The stove in my parlor upstairs puts off the most heat and I can get you blankets and some dry socks.

You murmured a quiet agreement, sounding very tired as he helped you up the stairs.

He could hear the quiet pitter-patter of Princess' paws as she followed you up the stairs. As he opened the door, the grey cat meowed at you as if encouraging both of you to just come inside already it is warm. You chuckled weakly, leaning with most of your weight on his arm. 

The stairs opened up onto Vizsla's little parlor, he didn't often entertain many guests in his living space. It was... sacred in a manner. It was cozy, the green upholstery and well waxed, shiny dark walnut of the seating set had been ordered in from back east. He also had a black and blue crocheted blanket his sister had sent him from Boston last Christmas that he used whenever he had a chance to sit in the morning beside the cheery little green stove he had up here.

"Here," he murmured, helping you to sit on a little sofa in front of the stove, "I am going to get the fire going, and then you can, uh, undress - in private of course!" 

"Thank you, Paz," you say, plucking at the buttons on your winter coat before starting to take that off first.

Paz hurries around, filling up the stove a bit more, setting up a pot of coffee to start going on top, and grabbing some heavy wool socks and one of his sweaters for you. None of this was exactly... proper to say the least. But propriety be damned, he didn't give a jot about any of those rules if it meant that he was able to have you warm and safe.

After handing you the clothing and blankets, he had left you and Princess out in his now very cozy parlor and hid in his room for a bit.

He had to dress in dry clothes too, after all, and this would give you the privacy you needed. It didn't take him long to change out of his wet trousers and socks. He debated on if he should put on dry shoes again and decided that would probably be one proper thing he could do, so he put those on as well.

Soon he was left staring at his bedroom door and wondering if he should knock before trying to open the door? Which was a bit odd since normally one knocked when you wanted in a bedroom not out of one.

But his decision was taken from him by none other than -

"Princess," you laughed on the other side of the door, "Don't scratch the door, he'll come out whenever he is ready."

Taking that as a sign that it was 'safe' Paz carefully opened the door, Princess immediately rubbing against his legs and purring. He smiled and bent down to pick the now compliant cat up. 

You should have seen her an hour ago," he muttered, hands scratching behind her ears, "She was as grumpy as a... a..."

He should not have looked up. Or maybe he should have. Who was to know when all he saw was you wrapped up in some of his blankets, the one around your shoulders slipping and taking your chemise with it to leave one shoulder bare to his gaze. 

You were sitting on his sofa, leaning closer to the stove as if to soak up the warmth. Whatever he had dreamt of what you would look like in his home, this exceeded everything he could ever have imagined.

You smiled at him, stretching out your hands, "Can I have her for some cuddles, please?"

Silently, he brought Princess over to you, his brain still trying to work through what he was perceiving. You looked good here. Not like you were a guest but like you could live here with him. 

But then it hit him as you raised Princess to your face. 

_This_ was the reason you had gone out in this horrible weather. Why you had twisted your ankle. Why you had sat alone in the snow for God knew how long.

He could have _lost_ you.

The fear that had filled his stomach the moment he had heard your cry out in the snow bubbled up into frustration and then anger. He took a step back, arms crossing as a cloud fell over his face.

You quickly noticed his change in temperament, you always seemed to notice such things.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?" You ask quickly even as Princess started to burrow herself into the pile of blankets on your lap.

"What's wrong?" Paz seethed. "What's wrong is you nearly died in a da- a snowstorm to see a cat!"

Your jaw fell open at his tone, "Paz!" 

"No," he interrupted. "What you did was foolish, you could have been hurt so much worse than just a sprained ankle." His voice caught in his throat, "You should've stayed home, why didn't you? You could have seen that cat in a few days after the snow had stopped, why did you have to come?"

Overcome, he sat heavily in the chair across from the sofa, running a hand over his face as he tried to rein in his feelings before he said too much.

The small clock that hung on his wall ticked loudly as they both sat there in silence, even Princess had stopped purring and was staring at him with eyes that were large and round like yours surely were. But he couldn't bear to look at you, if he did he knew he would surely give his hand away.

"Paz..."

He flinched at how hesitant and shaky your voice had become after his outburst as if you were treading on eggshells.

"Paz, I didn't... I don't come to just see Princess. You do know that right?" 

He remained silent, pondering what you could mean by that. If you didn't come to see Princess then why would you take the time to visit the saloon almost every day?

"I didn't come today because I wanted to see Princess but because," you took a deep breath as if bracing yourself, "Because I came to see you, Paz. I- I always come to see you have been for a while now."

The words seemed so loud in the silence of his parlor and Paz felt like he had been struck by lighting. Was this what he thought it was? Was this - Did you - You wanted to see him? After all this time of him pining after you, thinking of ways to keep you by his side once you thought Princess was taken care of... After all this time, you already were by his side? 

His legs felt weak all of a sudden and he knelt down on the floor in front of the stove, his eyes focused on your hands in Princess's fur. You seemed so nervous, so worried when he was the one who should be troubled. You'd come here for him. He was the reason you had gone out into the cold. A choking sound worked itself up his throat and he gulped.

"Are... are you very angry with me?" you asked softly, "I am so sorry, you had to go out in the cold just to find me, I- I was just so excited to see you and then the snow eased up this morning and- and I didn't think it would end like this..."

He shook his head, still silent and stunned and overwhelmed by so much happiness and worry his heart didn't know which way to turn. So instead, he put his hand in your lap, gently threading his fingers through yours.

"God as my witness, I'm not angry at you." He said trying to soothe you even as he saw your eyes filling with distressed tears. "I was so worried for you, love. You could have... but you tried to come here for me?"

You nodded shyly, blinking back the tears, "I'm sorry if I misread things between us," you said, continuing before Paz could reassure you that you had not, in fact, misread anything, "The only reason I thought it would be alright to leave Princess with you is because I saw how good a man you are."

Taking both of your hands in his, Paz ignored the slightly annoyed chirp Princess made when he stole your fingers away from stroking the soft grey fur. Throwing decorum to the wind, he pulled both of your hands, thankfully now much warmer than they had been just a short while ago, before showering your fingers, knuckles, and palms with worshipful kisses.

"You haven't misread a thing, love," he assured you, then he pressed another soft kiss to your knuckles, his lips ghosting over the back of your hand, "In fact, there is something I have been meaning to ask you for a while now." He heard your breath catch in your throat, the blankets rustling as you shifted in your seat. 

"I want to court you," he announced quietly, ignoring how hard his heart beat in his chest, how his head screamed at him for being so vulnerable in front of another person, "I want to court you, love, and I want to marry you and I want- I want to share the rest of my life with you." 

Princess meowed loudly, stretching a paw out at him and he chuckled, "With you and Princess, of course. If you want that, do - do you want that?" he swallowed harshly, looking at you with wide eyes and bated breath, "Do you want to be my wife?"

"I- you like me?" you echoed, eyes big and hands trembling in his, "You do? Truly? Because- Because I like you too, Paz, a lot."

The way Paz found himself grinning from ear to ear might have been embarrassing with anyone else but with you? He was just overjoyed.

You grinned back at how happy he was, your hands squeezing his large fingers in delight as you leaned down towards him in your glee.

Suddenly you both were very very close, and he caught your eyes flicker down to his lips and back up to his eyes even as you shifted even closer into his touch, into his warmth.

"Ma'am, if I might ask you if I may do something very improper?" Paz whispered, taking in the curve of your eyelashes as your eyes looked into his own.

"I feel we're already doing rather... improper things," you teased, your voice breathless with anticipation.

"May I... kiss you, love?"

You did not even answer him anymore. Or maybe you did, he was not quite sure. But as your eyes fluttered closed and your face came even closer to his, he knew that you wanted this as much as he did. 

Softly, he cupped your cheek, keeping you close to him, and he pressed his lips against yours. Just a little. Just to see if -

You gasped, pressing closer to him as his mouth started moving, his other hand coming up to frame your face and pulling you even closer. You tasted delicious, your skin was so warm from the fire and as he pulled away for a moment he took the chance to brush his rough thumb across your soft bottom lip, smiling at the way your tongue came out to wet your lips.

"You taste wonderful, love," he whispered, his forehead falling against yours, "I'm afraid I'll never be able to go another day without kissing you."

You sighed his name, the sound familiar yet falling from your lips like the sweetest honey, as you nuzzled against his forehead for a moment before turning to press a kiss into the center of his palm.

"I'm more than agreeable to kissing you every day from now on, Paz," you say as your hands grazed over his broad shoulders to link behind his neck. 

"Maybe... we might need to make up for some? For all the times I wanted to kiss you before today?"

Paz smirked at this, now knowing you had been wanting him the same way he had been aching for you.

”I think that can be arranged."

You giggled as he stood up with a groan, his knees aching, and sat down next to you on the sofa. Without any effort, you leaned into him, his side pressing against yours. Paz made sure to keep his hands above the blankets, he loved you but there were lines he did not want to cross yet. But what he did allow himself to do was to graze his fingertips across the bare skin of your shoulder, enjoying the way you sighed into his neck at the touch. 

Purring loudly, Princess climbed across your legs without any regard to the fact that you two were cuddling. Instead, she curled herself up in the little space between your two laps, settling down and closing her eyes. 

"And Princess," he asked with a grin, "ready to spend the rest of your life with us?"

~*~*~


End file.
